Pianoforte.



Patented Nov. 27, I900.

L. GASSARD.

PIANOFORTE.

(Application filed Apr. 21, 1900.)

(No Model.)

Inflznton Mine/5,5 8,5 /m

To-umu. wAsumorow n c UNITED STnTi s PATENT OFFICE.

LOUIS GASSARD, OF TORONTO, CANADA, ASSIGNOR TO THOMAS GABRIEL MASON, OFSAME PLACE.

PIANOFORTE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 662,783, dated November27, 1900. Application filed April 21,1900. serial No. 13,759. (Nomodel.)

To all whont it ntcty concern.-

Be it known that I, LoUIs GAssARD, pianomaker, of the city of Toronto,in the county of York, in the Province of Ontario, Canada, have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in Pianofortes, of which thefollowing is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in pianofortes; and one object ofthe invention is to devise a construction of plate and compositepin-block to be connected to the same whereby the construction of thisportion of the piano may be improved, made of greater strength andrigidity, and hold the tuningpins better than pianos at present in useand as a result produce a piano, either of uprightor grand form, havinga greater volume and superior quality of tone than has been pro ducedheretofore.

Subsidiary objects are, first, to produce an echopedal to advantageouslymodify the tone of the instrument, and, secondly, to provide asounding-board that will act more in sympathy with the strings.

To accomplish these ends my invention is constructed and arranged ashereinafter more particularly explained.

Figure 1 is a plan view of a plate of a piano having connected theretomy composite sectional pin-block. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the frame ofthe pin-block alone. Fig. 3 isa crosssection on the partlystraight andpartlycurvulate line 50 y, Fig. 1. Fig. 4.- is a crosssection on theline .90 y, Fig. 1.

In the drawings like characters of reference indicate correspondingparts in each figure.

IIeretofore in the plates of pianofortes the portion of the plate underwhich the pinblock extends was cast with the main portion of the plate,and on account of the different thicknesses of the two portions themetal at the portion of the plate where the pin-block was situated wouldin cooling warp or buckle up and necessitate various devices to bring itinto shape in order to accurately secure the strings of the piano inposition. It was with the object partially of overcoming this defect andsecuring the pin-block, in which the pins may be securely fastened andprevented from yielding, as well as give this portion increasedrigidity, that my invention is particularly designed.

A is the main portion of the plate, and a the plate tension-bars,suitably connected to the plate A by bolts, as shown. These bars runparallel with the strings and hold apart the iron frame 0 c of thecomposite sectional pin-block C from that of the main portion of theiron plate A in which the hitch-pin f is situated.

It will be noticed that the composite pinblock C contains thetuning-pins Z), which are inserted in the layers B, comprising thewooden portion of the pin-block. These layers are inserted in the framebetween the sides of the frame a 0 upon the flanges c c and are gluedtogether and built up until they reach the top of the inner portion ofthe frame 0 and extend underneath the flange c of the outer portion ofthe frame. It will thus be seen that the Wooden port-ion of thedifferent layers B is securelyincased andis necessarily of greatstrength and durability. It may be remembered that the aggregate strainexerted by the strings of a piano when in tune is from twenty to thirtytons, so that this feature of construction is of greatimportance. Thecomposite pin-block C is secured to the tensionbars by bolts 2,extending through holes 3 in the projecting portion of the composite pinblock to the plate, and by bolts at, extending through holes in the endsof the tension-bars and holesoat the outside. (See Figs. 1 and 4.)

It will be noticed that the tension-bar a is so constructed as tooverhang the pin-block frame 0 c, and such frame fits into the point orangular recess a in the tension-bar, and it will consequently be seenthat the tension increases on the strings the firmer will the frame ofthe composite pin-block be held in position at this point.

E is a nose-bolt which extends through the plate A into the inside ofthe case F.

G is the sounding-board, which is placed in the position shown in Figs.1 and 3 and is 5 supported or joined upon the preferablyfluted rims Hand H. The nose-bolt E ex- IOO eign to itself. It is a well-known factthat if anything be placed on the sounding-board of astringedinstrumentit produces a most detrimental effect on the tone quality ofthe instrument, and consequently where the sounding-board is suspendedor placed as shown in my invention a greater voln me and superiorquality of tone will be produced and the piano Will hold its tone betterthan an ordinary piano.

N is the pilot-pin, which extends through the plate A, as indicated, andan enlarged hole in the sounding-board G to and through the resonator.This is accomplished from the fact that the plate being connectedthrough the sounding-board to the resonator by means of the pilot-pin,the pulsation of such plate, caused by the vibration of the strings, isconveyed to the resonator (which, it will be noticed, is practically inthe shape of a tuningfork) through the frame and rim of the board backto the soundinghoard, thereby gathering up the volume of the tone andacting as an auxiliary to the resonance of the soundingboard. Thepurpose of the pilot-pin is to communicate vibration to the resonator.

1 is the damper of the echo-pedal, which is designed to damp two stringsin each note or group of strings.

is the lifting-wire, connected to the damper and passing through thewooden brace J, and K is the damper-rod, which is suitably pivoted at itand is also suitably connected. to the bottom of the lifting-wire.

L is the pedal-rod, designed to operate the dam per.

M is the cape taste, and id is tne bridge.

In Fig. 3 I show one string 0 for the sake of clearness.

3y the construction I have hereinbefore described it will be seen thatthe pin -blocl( proper or wooden portion of the composite pin-block isiminovahly xed in position, thus insuring great strength and rigidity tothe whole structure, and thus rendering the lateral vibration of thetuning-pins unappreciable. Hence it will he ntuierstood in theconstruction adopted that there will be an absence of a certain twangand roughness of tone commonly incident to instruments less firmly andless scientifically constructed.

Another important desideratum is that from the construction of the frameand the multiplicity of layers in the block proper the liability to warpof the block is reduced to a minimum, nor will the block split.

What I claim as my invention is 1. The combination with the plate properand tension-bars, of a composite pin-block comprising an independentencompassing iron frame made up of the inner and outer sides independentof the plate proper and the wooden pin-block proper suitably heldtherein and detachable means for securing the inner and outer sides ofthe frame to the various bars of the plate as and for the purposespecified.

2. The combination with the plate proper and tension-bars, of acomposite pin-block comprising an independent encompassing iron framemade up of the inner and outer sides independent of the plate proper andthe wooden pin-block proper suitably held therein and bolts extendingthrough the tension-bars and the inner and outer sides of the framewhereby it is secured to the plate as and for the purpose specified.

3. The combination with the plate proper and tension-bars, of acomposite pl11-bl0cli comprising an independent encompassing iron frameprovided with the inwardly-extending retaining-ilanges at the bottom ofthe side Walls and the upper overhanging flange at the inner side of oneside wall and having the point of the frame extending into correspondingreeerisses in the tension-bars, the pin-block proper comprised of aplurality of layers of wood fitting on top of the bottom flanges of theframe and within the upper flange and means for securing the compositepin-block to the tension-Inn's as and for the purpose specified.

i. The combinz'ttion with the soundingboard, of a rim having groovedsides, such rim being fastened to the edges of the frame and of toosounding-board, said board being left free to vibrate all around as andfor the purpose specified.

The combination with the plate and sounding-board and means for holdingthe sonndingbmtrd in position, of the resonator suitably secured to theframe and the pilotpin extending through the plate, soundingboard andresonator as and for the purpose specified.

o. he combination with the plate proper and tension-bars, of a compositepin-block comprising an independent encompassing iron frame providedwith he lower flanges at its sides and the upper overhanging flange onone side and having the frame extending into corresponding recesses inthe tensionbar, and means for securing the composite pin-block to thetonsionbars as and for the purpose specified.

LOUIS GASSARD.

Vi itnesses:

B. BOYD, H. L. TRIMBLE.

